Dayton Weekly Sports at a Glance

A round-up of recent news in Springfield sports.

SOFTBALL

The team is 3-3 and trying to stay afloat. Starting pitcher Breanne Mooney, who injured her pitching arm on April 12 at Kent Place, will be out indefinitely with a tear in her right biceps tendon following an MRI earlier this week.  

The sophomore righty had been carrying much of the load since becoming the regular starter as a true freshman last season. Mooney’s insertion into that slot was due to the arm rehabilitation of Gabby DeFronzo, who was the ace of the team during her freshman and sophomore seasons. The senior DeFronzo missed a huge chunk of last season while rehabbing her surgically-repaired right arm. 

Mooney was injured in the second inning on the wrong end of a huge deficit, in rainy weather conditions, that had many in attendance shaking their heads at the sight of the current ace battling the elements and an admittedly sore arm.  

“Explain how after [Bre] tells the coach her arm needs rest that you keep pitching her, when the score is 8-0 in the second inning,” said one concerned spectator.  

Mooney, who earned the season-opening win at home just days prior, admitted that her arm was sore following her five-inning performance and hoped she could just fight through the soreness. Also a star reserve on the basketball team, Mooney said the extended post-season run played a role in why her arm wasn’t in top shape to start the season.  

That should’ve been a red flag for head coach Wendy Saladino, according to the JDHS source.  

“I felt so bad for Bre,” continued the source following the Kent Place game. “The kids said they heard the arm pop and the ambulance came for her…bottom line is don’t overuse these kids. Good job, Coach.”   

Many in attendance were also puzzled as to why the game was even allowed to be played in the first place, as hindsight now proved their fears.  

“It’s unfortunate that they had to play Tuesday, given the weather,” added another concerned parent. “I really feel that the ump should have delayed the game when it really started coming down…and the fact that the Kent Place players were still circling the bases while Bre laid there on the ground in pain was classless.”   

Now, the Bulldogs head into the upcoming games unsure on the mound and psyches certainly shaken. Saladino will have to rely upon DeFronzo, who’s still working her powerful arm into shape, or true freshman Lauren Bell. The ironic twist is should Saladino have to call on Bell, it’ll be the DeFronzo-Mooney situation all over again where a freshman [Bell] will have to shoulder the load until the vet [DeFronzo] makes the heroic return.   

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Speaking of DeFronzo, she made her first start in two seasons against Brearley, Friday, April 15.  

The flamethrower looked rusty at times but still showed flashes of that famous powerful pop her pitches make when making contact with the catcher’s mitt. She went four innings and scattered nine hits, walked one, and allowed five runs – four earned. The run damage could’ve been lessened a couple of times but Dayton made a pair of crucial two-out errors to extend the inning. 

“Nerves came into play in that loss I think, as we made some crucial errors in the field and running the bases,” said Saladino. “I chalk that up to learning experiences.” 

The Bulldogs lost the game to Brearley, 7-6 in extra innings, but they shouldn’t be too dismayed. Once DeFronzo gets her mojo back, they’ll still have a nice rotation of pitchers to turn to, including Bell and sophomore Amanda Stein.   

“Losing Bre was huge,” Saladino sighed. “But we do have some nice depth at least.”  

With the emergence of Bell, the steadiness of Stein, and the way the team was galvanized by DeFronzo’s return, the Bulldogs may be able to weather the storm of Mooney’s absence.   

BASEBALL:

The baseball team, thankfully, hasn’t had to deal with such drama but what they’ve lacked in behind-the-scenes storylines, they’ve made up for it with a young team having to mature right in front of our eyes.   

After unexpectedly winning the conference last season with a 14-12 record, the Bulldogs were forced to move up into the higher bracket this season and got off to a quick start with a 3-1 win over Summit, April 4. Paul Flores pitched a complete game and Zechariah Stillitano and Chas Bohannon each chipped in with two hits.  

The squad looks to be rounding into form, as they found a way to bounce back following a 9-2 dismantling by Westfield on Thursday. They won two in a row since then, defeating McNair Academy, 16-5, on Friday and then knocking off South Hunterdon 5-4 on Saturday in their annual pilgrimage to the Somerset Patriots’ stadium. 

Friday’s contest featured many top players including junior pitcher Ryan Schweikert, who pitched all five innings of the blowout. Schweikert scattered five hits, walked none, and allowed three earned runs. Top hitters for Dayton were Joe Iuliano [4-for-4, double, triple, four RBIs], Chas Bohannon [three hits, two doubles, two RBIs], Nico Izzi [two hits], and Flores [two hits].  

Saturday’s game was a nice comeback victory for the young team, as they battled back from a 4-0 deficit. The Bulldogs scored two runs in the third inning and three in the fourth for the win. Bohannon came in for relief in the second inning and put out the fire by not allowing a run, yielding only two hits, and fanning five. Junior third baseman Matt Roland had a double and two RBIs in the game, while junior shortstop Tyler Bujnowski got the fourth-inning rally started with an RBI to tie the score. Senior designated hitter Darren Farbstein became the hero when he knocked in the eventual game-winning run later in the inning.   

BOYS BASKETBALL:

The awards circuit has been very good to the boys’ team, as several players got their due.  

Point guard Justin Grant received multiple honors including First-Team All-Conference, Third-Team All-County, and Second-Team All-State, Group 1; swingman Aaron Williams was named First-Team All-Conference, Fourth-Team All-County, and Third-Team all-State, Group 1; and forward Kevin Kirk garnered First-Team All-Conference.  

The Bulldogs finished its historic season 22-6 and came up one game shy of winning the Group 1 state title with an inspiring run to the Rutgers Athletic Center last month. It was the best playoff run for JDHS boy’s basketball in over 50 years and something the team – and community – will treasure for a long time.   

The team finished with a #4 Group 1 ranking and a #7 ranking in the Union County in the final standings of the Star-Ledger’s renowned rankings.  

Grant recently played in the EKB Showcase on April 10 in front of several schools, coaches, and college recruiters. Although still undecided, Grant will have a nice list of offers ranging from D-1AA to D-III programs. He recently visited William Paterson University and met with head coach Jose Rebimbas, who was in attendance for many of Dayton’s games down the stretch. Grant is rumored to be really enamored with local D-III program Kean University.   

Williams, who’s also a stellar football player [wide receiver/linebacker] will be taking his talents to Monmouth University and will be focusing on the gridiron, solely at receiver.  

Kirk, about as academically accomplished as any student-athlete in the state, has already been accepted into such stalwarts as Duke, Cal Tech, Yale, Dartmouth and Northwestern. No word yet on which school will win that lottery.   

Starting center Kareem Jackson will reportedly attend a college preparatory school before taking his vast talents to a major university. Jackson was a terrific rebounding force under the glass but is an even better football player. He was arguably Dayton’s best defensive lineman on a squad that was stacked with line talent. He had such D-I schools as Temple University looking at him for football. 

Shooting guard Ronnie Herman will be attending Albany University. As dogged a worker in the classroom as he was on the hardwood, Herman was granted a partial scholarship and will pursue studies in law. The Albany undergrad school has “a great joint program with Albany Law School," according to Herman. The scrappy guard said although it’s a D-I program, he’ll try to walk-on to the basketball team. Herman picked Albany over such schools as Rutgers and Binghamton.